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Online Vikes breakfast raises over $500K for University of Victoria athletes

Scholarship fundraiser donations push all-time total past $6 million
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Speakers at the recent UVic Vikes Championship Breakfast, online edition, included (clockwise from upper left) keynote speaker and UVic alumna Debbie Yeboah, UVic president Dr. Kevin Hall, current Vikes swimmer Danielle Hanus and student-athlete event hosts Eryn Libert-Scott and Vaughn Taylor. (Courtesy Vikes Athletics)

The pep rally-style atmosphere was missing, but enthusiastic support for sport was evident as the University of Victoria took its Vikes Championship Breakfast online for the first time.

A fundraiser for student-athlete scholarships, the 13th annual event brought in $525,000 right away, with donations being accepted up to Nov. 12.

Guest speakers Deborah Yeboah, a Vikes women’s basketball alumna (2008-13) who played pro in Europe and is now articling as a lawyer in Winnipeg; and current Vikes swimmer Danielle Hanus, gave viewers a taste of life as a post-secondary athlete at UVic and the benefits the experience gave them.

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“UVic opened a lot of doors for me and got me to where I am today. None of that would have been possible without hard work and opportunity, so I felt it was important to touch on those two topics,” Yeboah said later from her home in Winnipeg.

The virtual event was hosted for the first time by current Vikes athletes, Eryn Libert-Scott (women’s soccer) and Vaughn Taylor (cross country/track), who gave their perspective on the situation they and others face at UVic during pandemic.

“Everyone has met these new circumstances with such optimism and is doing a great job adjusting to the challenges of modified training and online classes,” Libert-Scott said. “We greatly appreciate everyone’s support during these times.”

Donations this year have helped push the cumulative total raised since the inaugural event in 2008 over the $6 million mark. Donations can be made until Nov. 12, by visiting the Vikes website. Any donations received after that will be put towards the 2021 Vikes Championship Breakfast.

“Once again our community of supporters has come together with an incredibly strong demonstration of support for our Vikes student-athletes,” Clint Hamilton, Vikes senior director of athletics and recreation, said in a release. “In a year where our Vikes have shown tremendous leadership and resiliency as they navigate the realities of pandemic times, it has never been more important to find support for them.”

For more information on how to donate email giftreceipts@uvic.ca or call 250-721-8907. Find the full video presentation from the 2020 breakfast here.


 

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